The condition caused Devloo to become 98 per cent blind, to the point that he can only see light, but being blind isn't stopping him from pursuing his passion.

"I wasn’t going to let being blind stop me from doing what I love to do. (Skateboarding) is my passion," Devloo says. "Skating is just my second nature, it’s just what I do. I can’t not skate."

Devloo was living in Manitoba when he lost his vision. Since it was wintertime, he couldn't get back on his skateboard right away because of the snow.

He brought his board back out in February and even though there was still snow on the ground, Devloo was anxious to ride again.

"I went outside with a shovel and I literally shoveled the sidewalk outside my high school, took my board, stepped on it and it just felt like home again."

He says he knew skateboarding was something he would do for the rest of his life despite his blindness.

"I went blind and I still skate, that just doesn’t make sense," Devloo says. "That’s what my whole message is: do things that don’t make sense."

(ASHLEY LEGASSIC / iNFOnews.ca)

CREATING A 'SKATE FAM' IN KAMLOOPS

Devloo says his old skate park, called The Forks in Winnipeg, had a sense of family among skaters and now that he lives in Kamloops he's hoping the same can happen for the people who use the McArthur Island skate park.

"Skating here has been pretty dope, actually. I’m really excited to get more into it and create the skate park family I love to have," Devloo says. "You've got The Forks family so I can’t wait to have my Mac Fam."

Devloo says the first time he skated at McArthur Island Park, a fellow boarder offered to show him around and by the end of the day people were calling him TBK which stands for The Blind Kid, also Devloo calls himself and his clothing line.

He said he was bullied after he lost his vision and would hear people whispering in the school hallways "there goes the blind kid."

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OPINION At least part of me wasn’t sure I should write this, given what happened last time. It was August 15, 2003 and like many Thursdays before it, I was scratching around for a column idea. The summer newsroom